Print control device

ABSTRACT

A printing slug which forms a part of the postal indicium plate of a postage meter and is movable between a print and nonprint position by means of a manually controlled lever. The relationship of the printing surface of the slug to that of the indicium is not critical since the manually settable lever resiliently retains the slug in print position.

United States Patent Inventor Appl. No.

Filed Patented Assignee Helmut K. Waibel San Lorenzo, Calif. 847,282

Aug. 4, 1969 Aug. 17, 1971 The Singer Company New York, N.Y.

PRINT CONTROL DEVICE 4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

U.S. C1

int. Cl

Field of Search B4lj 01/60 Referen 7 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,179,269 11/1939 Ogden 101/110 3,708,402 5/1955 Knauer 101/110 Primary Examiner-Hugh R. Chamblee Attorneys-C. R. Lepchinsky and Jay M. Cantor ABSTRACT: A printing slug which forms a part of the postal indicium plate of a postage meter and is movable between a print and nonprint position by means of a manually controlled lever. The relationship of the printing surface of the slug to that of the indicium is not critical since the manually settable lever resiliently retains the slug in print position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to the postal indicium of a postage meter. In the use of a postage meter, the postal indicium is printed on mail matter and includes the town circle and, in the case of first-class mail, the date. For second, third and fourth class matter, the postal regulations require the omission of the date, and for third class, the designation third class may be printed as a part of the postmark.

2. Description of the Prior Art In prior art devices, the third class slug is provided with a rectangular opening within which a portion of the large diametral head of a thumbscrew is turnable. As the thumbscrew is threaded into the plate supporting the indicium die and the adjustable slug, the head of the screw moves the slug into print position relative to the printing surface of the indicium die. Conversely, as the thumbscrew is turned out, the third class slug is moved to a nonprint position.

Because of this method of adjustment of the printing slug, the relationship of the print surface of the slug to that of the indicium die is critical. If the slug, when in print position, extends beyond the face of the indicium die, the printed impression of the indicium may not be clear or well defined.

Additionally, the thumbscrew is within the cover of the meter and is relatively inaccessible without removal of certain parts. After access has been obtained, several turns of the thumbscrew are required to move the printing slug to either the print or nonprint position. Thus, considerable time is required to adjust the third class" slug each time a change of position is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a printing device. The die plate of the device is provided with an aperture in which a printing slug is adjustably supported for movement to either a print or nonprint position relative to the surface of the die plate. The movement of the printing slug to either position is selectively controlled by a cam means and the cam means is adjustably retained in each position by a detent means BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS I FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the meter with covers removed;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary frontal elevational view of the meter showing the adjustment control mechanism for the third class slug, the view being taken on the plane indicated by line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevational view showing the third class" slug in the nonprint position and the manual adjustment member therefor, the view being taken on the plane indicated by line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

- FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the third class" slug in the print position;

FIG. 5 is a view of a stamp impression taken from the third class" slug as well as the indicium die; and

FIG. 6 is a detail in elevation ofthe third class"-type slug.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The invention is shown as being embodied in a postage meter of the type disclosed in the copending application of Maynard B. Anderson et al.. Ser. No. 686,613 filed Nov. 29, I967. In meters of this type, the postage indicium and town circle is adapted to be imprinted on mail matter and, on first class matter, the date is also imprinted. The postage value as imprinted is accumulated in an ascending register and subtracted from the amount of prepaid postage in a descending register. Under certain conditions, third-class mail must be imprinted with the designation third class preferably adjacent and below the town circle.

In the preferred embodiment, the meter includes a pair of spaced parallel frame members 10 and 11 which serve to support various mechanisms such as the selection mechanism, generally indicated at 12, and the postage value type wheels 15. The type wheels 15 are rotatable in a suitable opening in a printing die plate 16 and are settable by the selection mechanism 12 to represent a postage value to be printed. Printing die plate 16 includes the postage indicium, town circle die and an opening in the town circle die for a series of adjustable dater-type wheels, all of which are provided in wellknown postage-printing devices.

Disposed between the frame members 10 and 11 is a channel member 17 secured thereto by means of screws 18 and adapted to support the printing die plate 16 in a horizontal plane. In order to effect the printing of a postmark, a platen (not shown) is adapted to be raised to a printing position with relation to the printing die plate 16, in a well-known manner, as disclosed in Pat. No. 2,344,609, issued to W. J. Hanson, Mar. 21, 1944.

In some classes of mail matter, certain markings are required. For example, postal regulations require that thirdclass mail, when sealed and mailed at the third-class rate, must be marked third class. For this purpose, a type block or slug 20 bearing the words third class is adjustably supported in an aperture 21 in the channel member 17 and printing plate 16. The type slug 20 is substantially a parallelepiped or rectangular prism in configuration having its lower corners chamfered as at 22 and 23 (FIG. 6) and the type characters disposed along the lower edge surface.

At its upper right-hand end (FIG. 6), the type slug 20 is extended forming an ear 24. At its upper left end (FIG. 6) an ear 25 is formed at a right angle to the type slug 20 (FIGS. 1, 3 and 4), the bottom surface of the ears 24 and 25 being on the same plane parallel with the lower edge surface of the slug 20. In its lowered, or print, position (FIG. 4), the lower surface of the ears 24 and 25 engage the top surface of the channel support 17 to limit the movement ofthe slug 20.

In all classes of mail matter other than third-class matter,

the third class-type slug 20 must be retracted to a nonprint ment, the lever 26 is flexibly retained in position by the engagement of a rounded protuberance 36 on the lever in one or the other of a pair of apertures 37 and 38 in the frame member 28.

In order to control the adjustment of the type slug 20, lever 26 is provided with a depending portion 39 having a lateral extension 40 formed at a right angle thereto (FIGS. 1 and 2). At its left-hand end (FIG. 1), the lateral extension 40 of lever 26 includes a shoe 41 extending at a right angle thereto and parallel to the plane of adjustment of the lever. The shoe 41 is disposed at a right angle to and intermediate the ends of the rectangular aperture 21 in channel member 17 for movement relative thereto. The toe portion of the shoe 41 is formed angularly upwardly at approximately 45 to the horizontal, as seen in FIG. 4, and at its extremity is formed angularly downwardly therefrom at approximately to provide a camming surface.

Normally, upon rocking lever 26 counterclockwise from the print" position shown in FIG. 4 to the omit position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the extent of such movement is determined by the engagement of the lever with a protuberance 42 on auxiliary frame member 28. However, the protuberance 42 only projects substantially the thickness of the lever 26, so that the lever may be flexibly moved outwardly of the frame member 28 sufficiently to clear the protuberance 42 and then rocked upwardly moving the toe of the shoe portion 41 of the lever clear of the aperture 21. In so doing, the installation of a new type slug 20 becomes a simple matter. The slug 20 is dropped into the aperture 21 with the shoulders 24 and 25 resting on the top surface of the channel member 17. As the lever 26 is rocked downwardly, the angularly formed toe of the shoe portion 41 of the lever passes through a horizontally disposed rectangular opening 45 in the type slug 20. Once the extended toe of the shoe portion 41 of the lever 26 becomes engaged in the opening 45 of the type slug 20, it will not become disengaged therefrom so long as the lever 26 is restricted to movement between the omit and print" positions.

In order to adjust the third class-type slug 20 to the print position, the lever 26 is moved from omit to print and the heel of the shoe portion 41 of the lever engages the lower wall of the rectangular opening 45 in the slug 20 camming the slug downwardly. The lever 26 is limited in its clockwise movement (FIG. 4) by the engagement of the lower surface of the lateral extension 40 with the top surface of the web portion of channel member 17. In this position of the lever, the type face of the slug preferably extends slightly beyond the print surface of the print die plate 16. In thismanner, as a piece of mail matter, such as an envelope, is moved by a platen into pressure contact with the print die plate 16, the shoe portion 41 of the lever 26 is sufficiently resilient to yield under the pressure of the platen to enable the type slug 20 to move upwardly ensuring a clear impression of the third class-type characters as well as the postal indicium, as seen in FIG. 5.

For the omit or nonprint positioning of the third classtype slug 20, the lever 26 is rocked counterclockwise from the position shown in FIG. 4 to the position shown in FIG. 3. As the lever is so rocked, the outer surface of the angularly formed toe portion of the shoe 41 engages a chamfered edge of the top wall of the opening 45 camming the slug 20 upwardly where it is retained by the lever in its omit" position. It will be noted that each edge of the top wall of the opening 45 in slug 20 is chamfered. The right-hand chamfered edge.

(FIGS. 3 and 4) enables the installation of a new slug when, as explained above, the lever 26 is rocked counterclockwise beyond limit protuberance 42 to move the toe of the shoe portion 41 beyond the aperture 21. Thereupon, the new slug is placed in the aperture 21 and lever 26 is restored clockwise.

As it is restored, the surface of the angularly formed toe of the shoe portion 41 engages the right-hand chamfered edge of the aperture 21 camming the slug 20 upwardly to enable the passage of the show portion through the aperture.

What I claim is:

1. In a printing device,

a printing die plate having an aperture therein,

a printing slug adapted for movement in said aperture adjustable to either a print or nonprint position relative to the printing surface of said die plate, the printing surface of said printing slug extending a given distance beyond the printing surface of said die plate upon adjustment of said slug to print position,

a cam means manually operable to selectively control movement of said printing slug for adjustment to either position, and yieldable subsequent to the adjustment of said slug to print position to enable movement of said slug for the adjustment of the printing surface thereof into the plane of the printing surface of said die plate during a printing operation, and

detent means for adjustably retaining said cam means in each adjusted position.

2. In a device of the character described in claim 1 wherein said printing slug includes a rectangular aperture therein adapted for engagement by said cam means for controlling movement of said printing slug.

3. In a device of the character described in claim 2 wherein said cam means comprises a lever manually rockable to either of two positions and having a flexible shoe engaged in said aperture in said printing slug, the toe portion of said shoe being angularly formed upwardly for contact with one wall of said rectangular aperture to move said slug to the nonprint posltron upon rocking said lever to one position and operable to contact the opposite wall of said rectangular aperture to move said slug to the print position upon rocking said lever to the other position.

4. In a device of the character described in claim 3 wherein at least one edge of said one wall of the rectangular aperture is chamfered for camming contact by the toe portion of said shoe. 

1. In a printing device, a printing die plate having an aperture therein, a printing slug adapted for movement in said aperture adjustable to either a print or nonprint position relative to the printing surface of said die plate, the printing surface of said printing slug extending a given distance beyond the printing surface of said die plate upon adjustment of said slug to print position, a cam means manually operable to selectively control movement of said printing slug for adjustment to either position, and yieldable subsequent to the adjustment of said slug to print position to enable movement of said slug for the adjustment of the printing surface thereof into the plane of the printing surface of said die plate during a printing operation, and detent means for adjustably retaining said cam means in each adjusted position.
 2. In a device of the character described in claim 1 wherein said printing slug includes a rectangular aperture therein adapted for engagement by said cam means for controlling movement of said printing slug.
 3. In a device of the character described in claim 2 wherein said cam means comprises a lever manually rockable to either of two positions and having a flexible shoe engaged in said aperture in said printing slug, the toe portion of said shoe being angularly formed upwardly for contact with one wall of said rectangular aperture to move said slug to the nonprint position upon rocking said lever to one position and operable to contact the opposite wall of said rectangular aperture to move said slug to the print position upon rocking said lever to the other position.
 4. In a device of the character described in claim 3 wherein at least one edge of said one wall of the rectangular aperture is chamfered for camming contact by the toe portion of said shoe. 